Method and system for generating a brick model

ABSTRACT

An exemplary embodiment is a method for generating a brick model. The method includes receiving an electronic representation of an item to be represented by the brick model. The electronic representation is processed to generate building instructions for building the brick model and connected to an order interface for enabling the user to order bricks to make a model for shipment to the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method and system for generating a brickmodel. Currently, brick models, such as those sold by the LEGO Group(“LEGO”), are sold to consumers in a number of ways. A consumertypically reviews a description of a brick model (e.g., the packagingfor the brick model, a catalog, an e-catalog, an in-store display, etc.)to determine whether the consumer will purchase a brick model. The modelmay correspond to any item created by bricks. In general, consumerseither select a model or models from sets of models defined by themanufacturer or generate their own creative models. The manufacturer'smodels typically are accompanied by instructions for assembling themodel. While the current approach to distributing models is wellaccepted, the consumer is limited to either purchasing and assemblingpredefined models generated by a model designer who works for amanufacturer or designing their own models out of materials they havepurchased, without assistance from the model designer. Thus, a systemfor assisting a consumer in generating custom models which may bepurchased from a manufacturer is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary embodiment is a method for generating a brick model. Themethod includes receiving an electronic representation of an item to berepresented in bricks. The electronic representation is then processedto generate building instructions for building the brick model.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for generating a brickmodel.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for generating a brickmodel.

FIGS. 3–7 depict exemplary user interfaces for generating an electronicbrick model.

FIG. 8 depicts a printed representation of the electronic brick model.

FIG. 9 depicts exemplary building instructions for a brick model.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary gallery of images.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for generating a brickmodel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for generating a brickmodel. A brick may be any discrete building item such as a plastic toybuilding element available from LEGO. Such toy building elements includecoupling studs for frictionally interconnecting the toy buildingelements. The system of FIG. 1 includes user systems 2 through which aconsumer will contact a host system 4. Preferably, the host system 4executes a program that generates an electronic brick model, buildinginstructions, etc. The user systems 2 are coupled to a host system 4 viaa network 6. Each user system 2 may be implemented using ageneral-purpose computer executing a computer program for carrying outthe processes described herein. The user systems 2 may be personalcomputers owned by consumers or computers placed in consumer locationssuch as toy stores, theme parks, etc. The processing described hereinmay be shared by user system 2 and host system 4 by providing an appletto the user system 2.

The network 6 may be any type of known network including a local areanetwork (LAN), wide area network (WAN), global network (e.g., Internet),intranet, etc. The user system 2 may be coupled to the host system 4through multiple networks (e.g., intranet and Internet) so that not alluser systems 2 are coupled to the host system 4 via the same network.One or both of the user systems 2 and the host system 4 may be connectedto the network 6 in a wireless fashion and network 6 may be a wirelessnetwork. In a preferred embodiment, the network 6 is the Internet andeach user system 2 executes a user interface application (e.g., webbrowser) to contact the host system 4 through the network 6.Alternatively, a user system 2 may be implemented using a deviceprogrammed primarily for accessing network 6 such as WebTV.

The host system 4 may be implemented using a server operating inresponse to a computer program stored in a storage medium accessible bythe server. The host system 4 may operate as a network server (oftenreferred to as a web server) to communicate with the user systems 2. Thehost system 4 handles sending and receiving information to and fromcustomer service workstations 2 and can perform associated tasks. Thehost system 4 may also include a firewall to prevent unauthorized accessto the host system 4 and enforce any limitations on authorized access.For instance, an administrator may have access to the entire system andhave authority to modify portions of the system. The firewall may beimplemented using conventional hardware and/or software as is known inthe art.

The host system 4 also operates as an applications server. The hostsystem 4 executes one or more computer programs to generate the buildinginstructions for the brick model. Processing may be shared by the usersystem 2 and the host system 4 by providing an application (e.g., javaapplet) to the user system 2. Alternatively, the user system can includea stand-alone software application for performing a portion of theprocessing described herein. The host system also interacts with aproduct configuration system 10 that generates the physical model sentto a consumer. The system includes a printer 12 that generates printedbuilding instructions that accompany components of the physical model asdescribed herein. It is understood that separate servers may be used toimplement the network server functions and the applications serverfunctions. Alternatively, the network server, firewall and theapplications server can be implemented by a single server executingcomputer programs to perform the requisite functions.

Storage device 8 may be implemented using a variety of devices forstoring electronic information such as a file transfer protocol (FTP)server. It is understood that storage device 8 may be implemented usingmemory contained in host system 4 or may be a separate physical device.Storage device 8 contains a variety of information including imagessubmitted from user systems, electronic brick models derived from theimages and building instructions for electronic brick models, each ofwhich are described herein. Storage device 8 may also include a galleryof images from which the user can select an image for conversion to abrick model. Storage device 8 may also contain information concerningthe submission of the image (e.g., a user identifier, order identifier,date and time of submission, etc.). In addition, information concerningthe delivery of the brick model and instructions to the user (e.g.,brick counts, delivery date and time, shipping address, etc.) may bestored in storage device 8.

Operation of the system will now be described with reference to FIGS.2–7. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process for generating a two-dimensionalbrick model in one embodiment. To generate a two-dimensional brickmodel, a two-dimensional image is used to define the item to berepresented by the brick model. The process begins at 100 when a usersystem 2 contacts the host system 4. As described above, this may occurthrough the user system 2 contacting host system 4 using a web browser.The host system 4 may require the user to log in by providing a username and password as known in the art. Once the user is logged in, theuser is prompted at step 102 to define a two-dimensional image to beconverted to a brick model. The image may be an image stored on the usersystem 2 that is then uploaded to the host system 4. Alternatively, theuser can select an image from a gallery of images accessible by hostsystem 4. For example, storage device 8 may contain a gallery of images.FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary gallery of images from which the user canselect an image to be converted to a brick model. The gallery of imagesmay be arranged by categories such as animals, buildings, etc. The hostsystem 4 can process images in numerous formats including gif, jpg, bmp,etc. The host system 4 can also process files saved from a video devicesuch as a digital camcorder. The image may also be generated through aninput device associated with the user system such as a PC camera orscanner. For example, a user system 2 in the form of a kiosk at a themepark may include a digital camera for obtaining the image. The image isthen transferred to host system 4.

Once the image is transferred to the host system 4, the host system 4generates an electronic brick model at step 104. The electronic brickmodel is derived by dividing the image into a plurality of brickelements and determining a display parameter for each brick element.Brick elements in the electronic brick model are analogous to pictureelements (or pixels) in the image. Each brick element defines a regionin the electronic brick model and is assigned a brick element displayparameter. The brick element display parameter is derived from thecorresponding pixels in the image. For example, a brick element maycorrespond to a 3×3 array of pixels. The pixel display values (grayscale intensity, RGB values, etc.) may be combined to generate a brickelement display parameter. For example, the gray scale intensities ofthe nine pixels in a 3×3 array may be averaged and the average comparedto thresholds to determine the appropriate brick element displayparameter. For color images, the combined pixel display values aremapped to a color space to find a brick element display parameter. Thesize of each brick element corresponds to an actual brick. The brickelement display parameter corresponds to the color of an actual brickthat will be provided in the brick model. For example, in one embodimentthe electronic brick model is a gray scale representation made up offive types of bricks, namely black, dark gray, medium gray, light grayand white. Once the image is received, pixel regions corresponding toeach brick element are converted to one of these five brick tones usingtechniques described above.

The host system 4 then provides the electronic brick model to the usersystem 2 over network 6. Alternatively, as described above, the usersystem 2 can generate the electronic brick model 202 through an appletdelivered to the user system 2. FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary userinterface provided to user system 2. The user interface includes theimage 200 and the electronic brick model 202. In the example shown inFIG. 3, the image is a gray scale image and the electronic brick modelincludes five types of brick elements, namely, black, dark gray, mediumgray, light gray and white. It is understood that the image 200 andelectronic brick model 202 may be color images. The brick elements inelectronic brick model 202 correspond to physical bricks. In thephysical model, the bricks may be arranged in multiple orientations. Forexample, the bricks can be arranged top up (e.g., stud side up) or sideup (e.g. smooth surface side up). The electronic brick model 202 canalso be presented in multiple formats including the brick elements in afirst orientation (e.g., stud side up) and the brick elements in asecond orientation (e.g. smooth surface side up).

Once the electronic brick model 202 is created, the user can edit theimage 200 and see the effect on the electronic brick model 202 as shownin step 106. The user interface provides a number of functions selectedthrough an input peripheral (e.g., a mouse) as known in the art. A toolselection icon 203 allows the user to select a number of adjustmenttools. An undo button 210 allows the user to undo the effects of a priorchange to the image 200. A revert button 212 allows the user to resetthe image 200 to the image in an unedited form.

FIG. 3 depicts the picture size adjustment tool. Through a slide bar216, the user can enlarge or reduce image 200. The user can alsoreposition the image 200 using an input peripheral. Image 200 ispresented in a preview window 218 having a predetermined size. Thus, theuser can control what portion of image 200 appears in electronic brickmodel 202. Another image adjustment tool selected through tool selectionicon 203 is a brightness adjustment tool depicted in FIG. 4. The usercan increase or decrease the brightness of image 200 through a slide bar220. This affects the electronic brick model 202 by adjusting displayvalues in the image 200. For example, if the brightness is increased,brick elements in the electronic brick model 202 will be shifted towardslighter tones such as light gray and white. FIG. 5 depicts a contrastadjustment tool selected through tool selection icon 203. The user canincrease or decrease the contrast of image 200 through a slide bar 222.This affects the electronic brick model 202 by adjusting values in theimage 200. For example, if the contrast is decreased, the differencebetween the darkest brick elements and brightest brick elements isdecreased.

As shown in FIG. 6, edit button 213 allows user to initiate an edittool. The edit tool allows the user to change the appearance of brickelements in the electronic brick model 202. To change a brick element,the user selects a brick element tone from a brick element tone palette215 and applies the selected brick element tone to brick elements inelectronic brick model 202. It is understood that if the image 200 is acolor image, then the tone palette 215 will include colors.

The user may also edit topographical aspects of the electronic brickmodel 202. For example, the user may use a tool similar to the edit toolshown in FIG. 6 to build layers of bricks upwards from the electronicbrick model 202. The user selects a topographical tool and is presentedwith a palette similar to that shown in FIG. 6. The user could then addor remove layers of brick elements on the electronic brick model 202 byselecting a brick tone and applying the brick elements to the electronicbrick model 202. This allows the user to adjust the topography of theelectronic brick model 202. Such a tool may be used, for example, tocreate a facial feature (e.g., a nose) extending from the electronicbrick model 202. This feature would then appear in the brick model.

An option available during editing of the image 200 to generate theelectronic brick model 202 is adding predefined accessories. The usercan select predefined accessories (e.g., hats, glasses, beard,moustache, clothing, etc.), size the predefined accessories, color thepredefined accessories, and position the predefined accessories on theelectronic brick model 202.

When the user is done editing the image 200, the user may select a doneicon 224 which presents the user system 2 with a user interface such asthat shown in FIG. 7. Selecting save icon 230 in the user interface ofFIG. 7, the user can save the electronic brick model 202 as shown at 108in FIG. 2. The electronic brick model 202 may be saved in a variety offormats (gif, jpg, bmp, pdf, etc.) on the user system 2 or in thestorage device 8.

Selecting the print icon 232 in the user interface of FIG. 7 prints abrick representation of the electronic brick model 202 and buildinginstructions. Selecting the print icon 232 initiates a print function,as indicated in step 110 of FIG. 2, in the user system 2 such asinitiating a print routine in a web browser. FIG. 8 depicts anexemplary, printed brick representation 250 of the electronic brickmodel 202. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the bricks in the printedbrick representation 250 are all the same size, corresponding, forexample, to a 1×1 brick. The bricks in the printed brick representation250 may be presented in a first orientation (studs up as shown in FIG.8) or a second orientation (sides up) depending on user preference.

The host system 4 may also execute a consolidation process in whichgroups of similarly colored brick elements in the electronic brick model202 are grouped to form a larger brick element. To group brick elements,a search is performed in the electronic brick model 202 for commonlycolored regions corresponding to physical brick sizes. A search may beperformed by decreasing brick size. If bricks are available in 1×8, 1×4and 1×2 sizes, the electronic brick model 202 is searched for commonlycolored 1×8 regions, then commonly colored 1×4 regions, then commonlycolored 1×4 regions. When a commonly colored region is found thatcorresponds to a physical brick size, the region is replaced by a largerbrick element. For example, four adjacent 1×1 white brick elements maybe consolidated into a 1×4 white brick element to correspond to aphysical 1×4 brick. Such grouping would appear in the printed brickrepresentation 250. It is understood that the brick elements in theelectronic brick model 202 correspond to available physical bricks.

Selecting print icon 232 also causes the user system 2 to print buildinginstructions such as those shown in FIG. 9. Selecting the print icon 232initiates a print function, as indicated in step 110 of FIG. 2, in theuser system 2 such as initiating a print routine in a web browser.Building instructions 260 are the instructions used for building a modelcorresponding to the electronic brick model 202. The buildinginstructions 260 include a brick model frame 300 (which corresponds to aphysical frame that is sent to the user) and an array of brickindicators 302. Each brick indicator 302 includes indicia (e.g., anumber, a letter, a color, etc.) representing the type of brick used inthe model. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the brick indicators 302are all the same size, corresponding, for example, to a 1×1 brick. Asdescribed above, the brick indicators may be presented in a firstorientation (studs up) or a second orientation (sides up) depending onuser preference. As described herein, the host system 4 may also executea consolidation process in which groups of similarly colored brickelements are grouped. Such grouping would appear in the buildinginstructions 260. A legend 304 includes a key to the indicia provided inthe brick indicators 302. A brick count field (not shown) may also beused to display the exact number of bricks needed to build the brickmodel represented by the building instructions 260.

Selecting order icon 234 in FIG. 7 initiates an order for the brickmodel represented by the electronic brick model 202 as shown in step 112of FIG. 2. If not already available, the user system 2 provides ashipping name, shipping address, payment information, etc. to the hostsystem 4 as is known in online ordering systems. If an order isrequested, the host system 4 provides the product configuration system10 with a bill of materials (e.g., brick count for each type of brick)determined from the electronic brick model 202. The host system 4 mayalso generate an order identifier and provide the order identifier tothe product configuration system 10. The product configuration system 10initiates selection of the appropriate bricks from storage throughautomated brick selection apparatus (not shown) as shown at step 114.The exact number of bricks may be retrieved from storage or predefinedquantities meeting or exceeding the brick counts may be selected. Forexample, a bag of 50 bricks may be selected if the brick count is 43.Printed material may also be generated for the order by printer 12. Thebuilding instructions as shown in FIG. 9 may be submitted to the printer12 as shown at step 116. In addition, the order identifier, theelectronic brick model 202, and additional images may be provided toprinter 12. The shipping name and shipping address may also be routed toprinter 12 to generate a shipping label. The bricks, buildinginstructions and associated components (e.g., a frame for the brickmodel) are packaged and provided to the shipping address as shown atstep 118.

The host system 4 can also execute a program to generate athree-dimensional brick model from a three-dimensional representation ofan item. FIG. 11 is a flowchart depicting the processing for generatinga three-dimensional brick model. Steps similar to those in FIG. 2 aredesignated with the same reference number in FIG. 11. Step 103 includessubmitting a three-dimensional representation of the object to the hostsystem 4. The three-dimensional representation could be in a variety offorms such as a CAD model or a series of two-dimensional imagespresenting views of the object. At 105, the host system 4 executes acomputer program to generate a three-dimensional electronic brick modelcorresponding to the three-dimensional representation of the object.Initially, the three-dimensional electronic brick model is generated byrepresenting the three-dimensional representation with 1×1×1 brickelements. This involves filling the volume of the three-dimensionalrepresentation with 1×1×1 brick elements.

A subsequent step 109 entails grouping individual 1×1×1 brick elementsinto larger brick elements to provide structural integrity. Often, athree-dimensional brick model made of 1×1×1 bricks will not maintainstructural integrity and collapse. Thus, the grouping may be necessaryto provide a structurally stable three-dimensional brick model. Thegrouping may be performed by an individual who has expertise in brickmodels or by a computer program executed by the host system 4. Thefollowing steps are similar to those described in FIG. 2.

As described above, the user system 2 and the host system 4 can sharethe processing. For example, the user system 2 may include a softwareapplication that allows the user system to generate the electronic brickmodel without assistance from the host system 4. The user system 2 wouldthen contact the host system 4 to upload the electronic brick model tothe host system for creation of the brick model. Alternatively, the hostsystem 4 may provide an application to the user system 2 (e.g., anapplet) once the user system 2 contacts the host system. Accordingly,processing can be shared by the two systems.

As described above, the present invention can be embodied in the form ofcomputer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing thoseprocesses. The present invention can also be embodied in the form ofcomputer program code containing instructions embodied in tangiblemedia, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or any othercomputer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer programcode is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes anapparatus for practicing the invention. The present invention can alsobe embodied in the form of computer program code, for example, whetherstored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer(such as host system 4), or transmitted over some transmission medium,such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or viaelectromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code isloaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes anapparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on ageneral-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segmentsconfigure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplaryembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situationor material to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the inventionnot be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying outthis invention, but that the invention will include all embodimentsfalling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for generating a brick model, the method comprising:receiving an electronic representation of an item to be represented bythe brick model; and processing said electronic representation togenerate building instructions for building the brick model usingbricks, said bricks being physical, frictionally interconnecting,three-dimensional, discrete building elements wherein said processingincludes: generating an electronic brick model including a plurality ofbrick elements corresponding to bricks based on said electronicrepresentation; editing said electronic representation to affect saidelectronic brick model; and generating said instructions for said brickmodel in response to said electronic brick model.
 2. The method of claim1 wherein said electronic representation is a two-dimensional image. 3.The method of claim 2 wherein: said generating said electronic brickmodel including brick elements corresponding to bricks is based on saidtwo-dimensional image, said two-dimensional image including a pluralityof pixels, each of said brick elements representing a combination ofpixels.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said electronic representationis a three-dimensional representation.
 5. The method of claim 4 whereinsaid three-dimensional representation is a CAD model.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said editing includes at least one of alteringbrightness, contrast, position, size and color.
 7. The method of claim 1further comprising altering the topography of said electronic brickmodel.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising: grouping brickelements in said electronic brick model to form a grouped electronicbrick model including brick elements corresponding to bricks; andgenerating said instructions for said brick model in response to saidgrouped electronic brick model.
 9. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising: generating a brick count of said bricks based on saidelectronic brick model.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein: said brickmodel includes at least one layer of bricks.
 11. The method of claim 10wherein: said brick model includes a plurality of layers of bricks. 12.The method of claim 1 wherein: said brick model comprisesmonochromatically colored bricks.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein:said brick model comprises bricks having multiple colors.
 14. The methodof claim 1 wherein: said building instructions include brick indicators,each brick indicator including an indicia designating a type of brick.15. The method of claim 14 wherein: said indicia is an alphanumericcharacter.
 16. The method of claim 14 wherein: said indicia is a color.17. The method of claim 1 further comprising: obtaining a number ofbricks to build said brick model at a remote location and transferringsaid bricks to a user for building said brick model in accordance withsaid building instructions.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein: saidnumber of bricks exceeds the number of bricks needed to build said brickmodel.
 19. The method of claim 1 further comprising: adding predefinedaccessories to said electronic representation of the object.
 20. Themethod of claim 1 wherein said brick model includes toy buildingelements.
 21. A method for generating a brick model, the methodcomprising: receiving an electronic representation of an item to berepresented by the brick model; and processing said electronicrepresentation to generate building instructions for building the brickmodel using bricks, said bricks being physical, frictionallyinterconnecting, three dimensional, discrete building elements whereinsaid processing includes: generating an electronic brick model includinga plurality of brick elements corresponding to bricks based on saidelectronic representation; editing said electronic representation toaffect said electronic brick model; and generating said instructions forsaid brick model in response to said electronic brick model; obtaining anumber of bricks to build said brick model at a remote location andtransferring said bricks to a user for building said brick model inaccordance with said building instructions; printing said buildinginstructions and transferring said building instructions to the user.22. A system for generating a brick model, the system comprising: a usersystem for selecting an electronic representation of an item to berepresented by the brick model; and a host system coupled to said usersystem via a network; said user system and said host system operating toprocess said electronic representation to generate building instructionsfor building the brick model using bricks, said bricks being physical,frictionally interconnecting, three-dimensional, discrete buildingelements wherein: one of said user system and said host system generatesan electronic brick model including a plurality of brick elementscorresponding to bricks based on said electronic representation; one ofsaid user system and said host system edits said electronicrepresentation to affect said electronic brick model; and one of saiduser system and said host system generates said instructions for saidbrick model in response to said electronic brick model.
 23. The systemof claim 22 wherein said electronic representation is a two-dimensionalimage.
 24. The system of claim 23 wherein: one of said user system andsaid host system generates an electronic brick model including brickelements corresponding to bricks based on said two-dimensional image,said two-dimensional image including a plurality of pixels, each of saidbrick elements representing a combination of pixels.
 25. The system ofclaim 22 wherein said electronic representation is a three-dimensionalrepresentation.
 26. The system of claim 25 wherein saidthree-dimensional representation is a CAD model.
 27. The system of claim22 wherein said editing includes at least one of altering brightness,contrast, position, size and color.
 28. The system of claim 22 whereinone of said user system and said host system operate to alter thetopography of said electronic brick model.
 29. The system of claim 22wherein: one of said user system and said host system groups brickelements in said electric brick model to form a grouped electronic brickmodel including a plurality of brick elements corresponding to bricks;and one of said user system and said host system generates saidinstructions for said brick model in response to said grouped electronicbrick model.
 30. The system of claim 22 wherein: one of said user systemand said host system generates a brick count of said bricks based onsaid electronic brick model.
 31. The system of claim 22 wherein: saidbrick model includes at least one layer of bricks.
 32. The system ofclaim 22 wherein: said brick model includes a plurality of layers ofbricks.
 33. The system of claim 22 wherein: said brick model comprisesmonochromatically colored bricks.
 34. The system of claim 22 wherein:said brick model comprises bricks having multiple colors.
 35. The systemof claim 22 wherein: said building instructions include brickindicators, each brick indicator including an indicia designating a typeof brick.
 36. The system of claim 35 wherein: said indicia is analphanumeric character.
 37. The system of claim 35 wherein: said indiciais a color.
 38. The system of claim 22 wherein: said host systeminitiates obtaining a number of bricks to build said brick model at aremote location and transfers said bricks to a user for building saidbrick model in accordance with said building instructions.
 39. Thesystem of claim 38 wherein: said number of bricks exceeds the number ofbricks needed to build said brick model.
 40. The system of claim 22wherein: one of said user system and said host system adds predefinedaccessories to said electronic representation of the object.
 41. Thesystem of claim 22 wherein said brick model includes toy buildingelements.
 42. A system for generating a brick model, the systemcomprising: a user system for selecting an electronic representation ofan item to be represented by the brick model; and a host system coupledto said user system via a network; said user system and said host systemoperating to process said electronic representation to generate buildinginstructions for building the brick model using bricks, said bricksbeing physical, frictionally interconnecting, three-dimensional,discrete building elements wherein: one of said user system and saidhost system generates an electronic brick model including a plurality ofbrick elements corresponding to bricks based on said electronicrepresentation; one of said user system and said host system edits saidelectronic representation to affect said electronic brick model; and oneof said user system and said host system generates said instructions forsaid brick model in response to said electronic brick model; said hostsystem initiates obtaining a number of bricks to build said brick modelat a remote location and transfers said bricks to a user for buildingsaid brick model in accordance with said building instructions; saidhost system prints said building instructions and transfers saidbuilding instructions to the user.